It was the night after Daehyun's or the biggest idol in the world, his concert was Monday, June 2nd, in Seoul, South korea; the night air is cold for a summer day and the streets are filled with fans leaving the concert hall. The fans leave with a blur between excitement, not believing they just met the biggest idol in all of Korea; but also sadness as they are hit with post concert depression.
Daehyun, who is wearing a disguise, isn't seen by his fans as he walks down the sidewalk. While he walks through the never ending pathway he notices a small coffee shop named "Lee Coffee', Daehyun takes a quick glance around to make sure no fans have been following him then walks inside the coffee shop. The bell chimes as he walks through the door, the air filled with a warm scent of coffee and pastries. Beomseok looks over from the oven and smiles, 'Welcome! I'll be with you in just a moment!'. Daehyun smiles back, a bit intrigued by Beomseok's warm welcoming, 'Take your time' Daehyun replies.
Beomseok puts some of the fresh baked croissants onto the display and looks at Daehyun, 'What can I get for you?' Beomseok asks in a friendly tone. He takes a glance at the menu then looks back at Beomseok 'Just a small iced americano', Beomseok nods and starts preparing the order, brewing the espresso and adding the water and ice into the cup.
Daehyun looks around the small but cozy shop; The colors are soft and warm, a small heater in the corner. It's decorated with a few posters of himself, some plants and a shelf of albums, most of them being his own. He looked around at the decorations, noticing his own pictures from his most recent photoshoot for his new album "MIDNIGHT STRIKER" on the wall.
'Are you a fan of Kim Daehyun?' Daehyun asked.
'Yeah, I'm actually going to his concert on the 7th' Beomseok replies with excitement.
Daehyun smiles under his mask, thankfully Beomseok can't tell that he is actually wearing a disguise. Daehyun starts the conversation up again, 'Do you have a favorite song by him?'
Beomseok thinks for a moment, holding the ice for the americano in the ice scooper for a moment, then coming up with an answer 'Probably "Drowning", what about you?' Daehyun instantly replies, 'I'd say "Annie."' Beomseok nods in agreement. Daehyun looks around again, taking in the small shop that surprisingly brings him comfort after the stressful concert day.
He lets out a small laugh at the cat poster behind the tables, 'You like cats?' he asks. Beomseok smiles and nods quickly, "Yeah, I really love cats.' Daehyun smiles in return, 'I'm adopting one soon and naming it after Daehyun"s cat, Bomi.'
Beomseok smiles back. Daehyun looks around for a moment then looks back at Beomseok, 'What's your name?' He asks. Beomseok looks up from the drink and smiles, 'Beomseok, Lee Beomseok.' He replies, 'What"s yours?'. He thinks for a moment, he couldn"t say his real name or he would get caught, but he also did not want to lie to him. 'I'm Joon-Woo, Park Joon-Woo." Daehyun replies, he lied and he was feeling guilty about it.
After a minute of uncomfortable silence, the only sounds of Beomseok working, Beomseok hands Daehyun his iced americano, 'That'll be $2.99' Beomseok says with a smile. Daehyun grabs a $5 bill out of his pocket and hands it to Beomseok. 'Keep the change' Daehyun says with a smile, Beomseok smiles back. He takes the money and puts it in the register while saying, 'Thank you'. Daehyun takes his drink off the counter, his hand brushing against Beomseok"s as he does so, the touch sends a shiver down his spine, his breath hitching in his throat, 'Thanks for the coffee, i"ll definitely come back' Daehyun says as he walks to the door. 'See you again!' Beomseok said happily as he waved Daehyun goodbye.
Daehyun waves back and walks out the door of the coffee shop. The air is colder and the dark streets are quiet. Daehyun starts to walk to the studio, his heart pounding from the touch he felt with Beomseok. The studio wasn!t far from the cafe which isn't surprising considering it's a big city. He continues to walk down the street and sipping his iced americano, he can't seem to get the encounter with Beomseok out of his head.
The more he thought the more he was feeling butterflies in his stomach. He makes it back to his hotel for the night, the stressful concert day finally over but something still feels…missing.. A few days go by after that encounter; The days have been exciting for both of them. Beomseok and "Joon-woo" start to hang out. They went to the mall, just walking around and going into cute stores that sold Hello Kitty merchandise, and a few k-pop stores. They went to the center park, going for walks and chatting; finding out more about each other. After those days of hanging out they eventually became close friends. Beomseok still has no idea that Joon-woo is actually Daehyun in disguise. He wears a black hat paired with basic clothes all of the time, mostly hoodies.
Eventually, It's the day Beomseok gets to see Daehyun in a concert, his biggest dream to finally see his role model in person. Beomseok has always loved and admired Daehyun for his music, looks, and personality. He had many merch and albums of his, even his exclusive lightstick which fits his new concept; a coffin shaped lightstick with a glowing white cross in the middle and a red glow around it. Beomseok gets off his shift early at 2pm to get ready for the concert and make it to sound check.
As he reaches home he is greeted by his sister, Yuna. 'You're home early, special occasion?' Yuna asks, holding a book in hand. Beomseok takes off his black Star Hike Converse, making sure to set them side by side next to the door. 'Yeah, I'm going to Daehyun's concert at 7pm, I need to get ready for sound check at 5pm' Beomseok explains. Yuna smiles, 'You'dve always wanted to see him?' Yuna asked. Beomseok nods quickly, 'Of course! I love his music and it's gonna be amazing to see him at the meet and greet!" he says excitedly. Yuna laughs, holding the book tight in her hands, 'Well you have fun, I'll be at Haneul's place so I might not be home when you are. Make sure to send videos and photos!' Yuna yells with excitement.
Beomseok nods in reply before heading into his room. Beomseok's room is filled with posters, albums, and merch of Daehyun"s from various different eras of his career starting from his debut up to this day.
Beomseok rummages through his closet for a few minutes, looking through his many clothes for something to wear. His clothing consists of mostly dark colors but there are some colorful ones. Beomseok takes out an outfit that consists of light blue baggy jeans and a tan sweatshirt. After he finishes changing he grabs a white tote bag that has Daehyun's most recent album cover on it. Beomseok grabs the necessities for the concert like the lightstick, portable charger, his lanyard with keys and his VIP pass, and his wallet. As he packs the bag for the concert he can hardly contain his excitement, his heart pounding with excitement and nervousness. Beomseok has been waiting for this day for months, even years. He was excited to see what Daehyun would look like in person and not on a screen or in an advertisement. Beomseok grabs the rest of his things and puts his shoes back on before locking up his house and making his way to the concert hall. The streets are filled with Daehyun's fans and cars that are stuck in traffic due to the concert.
Beomseok makes his way through the crowds of people and gets to his floor seat which is really close to the stage. There are other people there who also have the VIP pass, ready for the sound and light check. The red stage lights turn on as the instrumental for Daehyun"s most recent song, "Bloodsucker" starts to play on the speakers. Beomseok listens and watches as the sound check goes on, mesmerized by the colors and sounds he is finally experiencing. Beomseok could also hear Daehyun's voice coming from the microphone backstage as he practices, it's like music to his ears. The time ticks closer and closer to concert time, more and more fans start to arrive and take their seats, packing the stadium. It's 6:50, the stadium is packed with fans excited to see Daehyun on stage.
It's the time of the concert, the lights in the crowd dim as the stage lights come on, the crowd starts chanting "Daehyun" and waving their lightsticks in the air; a coffin shaped lightstick with a glowing white cross in the middle and a red glow around it. Beomseok does the same, barely able to contain his excitement.
The crowd suddenly erupts into cheers as Daehyun walks onto the stage wearing a normal black shirt and white sweatpants. Beomseok screams and chants along with the crowd, his dream finally coming true. Daehyun smiles at the crowd and his eyes widen as he sees Beomseok in the front row. Daehyun takes his microphone and says, 'How are we, Seoul?'. The crowd goes wild in screams and cheers. Daehyun takes a look around the crowd before saying, "Change of plans for the track list, how about we start with 'Drowning'?"" Daehyun asks as the crowd cheers.
Beomseok eyes widen, he studied the track list and he thought it couldn"t be changed during concerts. Could it be a coincidence? No it couldn"t be, maybe Daehyun just changed his mind. The stage lights dim into a pretty teal-blue color and the screen transitions to a sea floor with colorful corals, heart shaped bubbles, and fish. The instrumental starts to play as Daehyun starts to sing the lyrics. The crowd sways their lightsticks as the slow song plays, the crowd even doing fanchants; like singing along with the lyrics or saying the background words. As the song progresses Daehyun looks at Beomseok for a certain lyric, the lyric that says "And then my eyes locked on yours for the first time, I fell in love". Beomseok locks eyes with Daehyun, Beomseok's mind going blank as he looks at Daehyun.
Daehyun smiles at Beomseok before walking around on the stage, the song coming to the end. The crowd cheers as the first song ends, 'How about we sing a different concept? Like 'Bloodsucker'?" Daehyun asks the crowd as they scream in joy. As the concert goes on the crowd gets more and more excited, screaming at the sight of Daehyun on stage, pretty soon the concert comes to an end.
Beomseok makes his way out of his seat and down the hallways to the VIP meet and greet. The hallway is a decent length with posters of the tour hanging on the wall as well as some posters of Daehyun himself. There is already a long line that passes down the main hallway to the concession stand. Beomseok goes to the back of the line and waits his turn. 10 minutes pass, then 20, now 30, the line is getting longer and more chaotic as time passes; fans getting more and more anxious. He decides to go on his phone to pass the time and try to ignore the yelling and screaming on the fans. After around 40 minutes of waiting and chaotic fans pushing and shoving Beomseok finally gets to the front of the line.
Daehyun smiles softly, his black eyes shining under the light above 'Welcome Beo- i mean, what's your name?' Daehyun asks nervously. Beomseok stammers, he's finally meeting his idol and he's messing it all up, 'Im Beomseok.' he replies nervously. Daehyun laughs, 'It's okay to be nervous, is there anything you'd like me to sign?" he asks with a soft smile. Beomseok nods quickly, taking out his barista apron. "This please" Beomseok asks politely as he hands it to Daehyun. Daehyun smiles and lays it out on the table, signing his name under the logo of the cafe. 'Anything else? Like an album or poster?' Daehyun asks as he hands the apron back to Beomseok, Beomseok takes it and asks 'I was actually wondering if I could get a photo?'. Daehyun smiles and nods, standing up 'Of course!' Daehyun says excitedly. Beomseok smiles back and stands next to Daehyun, pulling out his phone for a selfie. As they take the picture together Daehyun looks at the phone before saying, 'May I send myself the photo?'. Beomseok blushes at the words, 'You mean like.. Adding your phone number?' Beomseok stammers. Daehyun laughs at Beomseok"s flushed face, 'Of course. I'd like to get to know you.' Daehyun replies in a calm voice. Beomseok swallows and hands Daehyun his phone. Daehyun takes the phone, his fingers gliding across the keyboard as he types in his phone number. After a few seconds he hands it back to Beomseok, 'Here, thanks for coming to the concert.' Daehyun says with a smile. Beomseok smiles back, his face a light shade of pink, 'I really enjoyed it, have a good night." Beomseok replies as he leaves the venue, his heart pounding in his chest as he feels butterflies in his stomach.
Beomseok walks home completely exhausted. The walk home was full of Daehyun's fans, they were singing some of the songs they had just heard in the setlist, waving the lightsticks in the air, pretending they were still there.. Beomseok kept his head down the whole time, lost in his train of thought; how come Daehyun gave him the number when they just met?.
He makes it home and Yuna is on the couch with her phone in her hand and a glass of ice water in the other. 'How was the concert?' Yuna asks, looking up from her phone and looks at Beomseok. Beomseok has his back turned to her as he takes off his shoes by the front door, 'It was fine.' he replies. Yuna"s eyes narrow, 'It may have been fine but you don"t seem fine, you look flustered.' Yuna exclaims as a hint of concern spreads on her face. Beomseok sighs and walks over to the couch, taking a seat next to Yuna. 'What do you do when the idol you admire gives you his phone number out of the blue?' Beomseok asks, looking at Yuna with confusion and conflict in his eyes. Yuna laughs and sets her drink down, 'You're playing, right? The Kim Daehyun didn"t actually give you his number, he would never.' Yuna says with a hint of confusion in her voice. Beomseok looks down at his hands then grabs his phone out of his bag, unlocking it before going to his contacts and showing it to Yuna. 'Look, I swear he added his number.' He says as he shows Yuna the phone. Her eyes widened in surprise, she was confused and concerned. 'Are you sure it's not someone playing with you? How do you know for sure it was him?' Yuna asks. Beomseok sighs, 'I took a picture with him and then he asked if I could send it to him.' Beomseok explains, showing Yuna the exact selfie he took with Daehyun at the meet and greet. Yuna smirks and decides to play around with Beomseok, 'You two look really cute together.' She jokes. Beomseok rolls his eyes. Yuna laughs, 'Send him the picture, he asked for it didn't he?' Yuna says, she clearly wants him to text Daehyun. Beomseok takes a breath and opens the picture, he glances at Yuna before sending the picture to Daehyun"s number.
Daehyun was casually laying in bed at his hotel as he felt his phone vibrate with a notification beside him. He unlocks the phone and smiles as he looks at the photo of him and Beomseok. He saves it to his phone before typing a quick reply. Beomseok was waiting anxiously for a reply from Daehyun, the time ticking by which feels like an eternity. Beomseok quickly checks his phone as it goes off with a message from Daehyun. He reads it aloud to Yuna, 'We look amazing in that photo! Thank you again for coming to the concert and meeting me, you were probably my biggest fan, huh?'. Yuna squeals and shakes Beomseok's shoulder, 'Don"t you realize how big of a deal this is?!' She asks excitedly. Beomseok smiles and replies, 'I guess it is'. Yuna laughs before saying, 'Go ahead to bed now, you had a long day. We'll talk about this more in the morning.'.
Beomseok nods and heads upstairs to his room and gets ready for bed. After Beomseok does his night routine he checks his phone one last time before setting it down for the night. There"s nothing. He sets it down on the nightstand by his bed and gets under his blankets, he lets out a content sigh as he feels the warmth in his bed from the cool summer air. He still couldn"t believe the day he had, first he went to his favorite idol"s concert, then a meet and greet with a selfie, and now his number.
Beomseok was filled with nervousness and excitement, his mind racing with thoughts as he tried and fell asleep. The day was filled with excitement and laughter, the best day Beomseok could ask for; it was perfect.
After some time his mind slows its thoughts as he starts drifting off to sleep, but as he drifts off his phone pings with a message. From Daehyun: 'Good night! I enjoyed seeing you!'. The phone screen goes black and the house becomes quiet, the only noises that can be heard is the traffic outside, the crickets in the bushes, and the soft breathing of sleeping Beomseok. The phone dings with another message, it's from Daehyun again. 'Let's hope we can see each other again! Maybe at a coffee shop?' The text was not only suggestive but also a hint, as if he is trying to make Beomseok guess they met before, Which they have. He sighs, his thoughts sound loud in his head 'Why did I do that? I"m not allowed to message a fan like that and I just did.' The more he thinks the more his eyes get heavy as the concert exhaustion hits him.
A voice from the door speaks up 'The concert went really well today.' It was Daehyun's manager, Kim Byeonghoon. 'You"ve worked hard today, considering you're the most well known idol across the world.' Daehyun just nods 'Yeah I guess I am.. Can I rest for a few days? I feel exhausted and the tour is over anyways.' He explains. His manager shakes his head. 'You have photoshoots and music video films this week, you can have a day off later.'
Daehyun tries to argue but he just nods and leans back. Byeonghoon walks out of the room and Daehyun sighs, feeling defeated. His eyes slowly start to close as he ends up falling asleep. The stressful, exciting, and exhausting concert day is finally over